A Vineyard Haven resident pitches a plan to Island selectmen to develop a rural roads manual. Other places have done it successfully, including Nantucket.
Craig Whitaker has delighted in the treelined roads that cut through the national parks. He’s marveled at the winding roads of the San Juan islands off Washington state.
Mostly though, he’s admired the rural roads of Martha’s Vineyard, where he owns a home and lives part-time.
The first time he set foot on the Island he remembers riding along North Road, a winding road lined with a canopy of oaks. Through the branches, Mr. Whitacker could see the glow of a full moon.
“We had been thinking for sometime about having a place on the Cape, and we sat in the backseat of the car and said, this is it,” Mr. Whitaker recalled during a recent meeting of the All-Island selectmen.
But over the years, Mr. Whitaker has witnessed a loss of that rural character. An architect by profession, he has frowned at the widening of roads, the increasing tendancy to pave shoulders, the construction of towering telephone poles and the proliferation of signs.
So he began to take an inventory of what he calls the “good and the ugly” of Vineyard roadscapes. He researched comparable communities who have succeeded in preserving and enhancing the rural character of their road aesthetic. He found many examples, including Nantucket,
He completed the research in collaboration with the Project for Public Spaces, a nonprofit organization that remodels public spaces nationwide.
Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road cited as example of "ugly" road stripped of rural character.
Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road cited as example of "ugly" road stripped of rural character.
His ugly list includes paved shoulders and metal guardrails, the Tashmoo Overlook pullout and the Oak Bluffs roundabout, which replaced the blinker this year. “My concern is that it suburbanized the place,” he said. “That’s the bad word in all of this.”
Vineyard roads, he says, are starting to lose their distinctiveness. “It isn’t Darien, it isn’t Scarsdale,” he told the Gazette in an interview. “It’s rural.”
The remedy, according to Mr. Whitaker, is a thoughtful consideration of roadway aesthetics to improve the face of the Island, which he says is important to the local economy.
“This is a chance to be proactive,” he said.
He hopes that it will be a community collaboration in which the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, town governments and the state highway officials would work together to develop a rural roads manual, a set of published guidelines that define Island roadside aesthetics. They would define the widths of roads, set utility pole height, and even establish a uniform design and size for signage.
“It is a resource protection,” he explained to the selectmen at their December meeting. “Something for the Vineyard that would be a way to protect its road character.”
Towns can also apply for a scenic byway designation from the state. The Chappaquiddick Road is already registered as a scenic byway which makes it eligible for federal funding under the National Scenic Byways Act.
A scenic road designation, as established in chapter 40 of Massachusetts General Law, allows for no repair, maintenance, reconstruction or paving work without the consent of the town planning board.
In 1994, Nantucket developed a set of road design guidelines, which establish a series of recommendations for roadside architecture, and other elements.
On the Island, the effort may be well-timed. Rural roads is one of a list of issues a new commission committee on NStar is set to discuss in the new year, as well as herbicide use and telephone pole aesthetics. Also, the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, widened in 1997, is slated for repaving in 2015.
Mr. Whitaker showed the group a photograph of a segment of the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, which he had altered using Photoshop. In the picture he narrowed the road and planted grass along the shoulder.
“It would make sense if we were able to chart our own road destiny,” he said.
Comments
Mr. Whitaker, thank you so
Resident Martha's VineyardMr. Whitaker, thank you so much. We've removed the guard rails and the paved shoulders. Next we took down much of the ugly signs like, "no curb" and dangerous turn ahead. Finally, we down-graded those ugly telephone poles. Sure, us year round residents are paying the price with higher-injury car accidents and my kids are trying to do their homework on half the internet speed of the kids off island with whom they'll be competing for college applications.
Thankfully, the benefit of you saying, "Ah, nice" as you drive down our roads is all the comfort, convenience and safety I need in my hometown. Thank you for helping us keep aesthetics over function in our hometown, sorry, YOUR vacation hometown.
Nice knee-jerk reaction
Also a resident EdgartownNice knee-jerk reaction "resident". You can have aesthetics AND function. If we follow your train of thought we may as well just allow a Walmart, and a Home Depot, cus saving money is obviously more important than aesthetics. A four lane bypass from Edgartown to Aquinnah would be nice too. Exits at downtown OB and VH, because that commute needs to be shorter so I can cram more into my day, so my business can be more competitive. Maybe put up large walls on either side to keep those pesky deer from running out into the road too. While we're at it we may as well build that tunnel to the cape, 'cus that boat is such an inconvenience. There are many things that will affect your kids getting into college. I doubt fast internet ranks among the top ten. I for one welcome Mr. Whitaker and his ideas. We can have the best of both worlds, we just need to be involved in charting our own course.
The island already has 'best
DanThe island already has 'best practices' for scenic roads. How do you think the overhanging tree branches got that way? It's part of the island plan.
"Resident", it's seasonal
Resident as well VH"Resident", it's seasonal people like Mr. Whitaker that pay for your children's education. Year round residents pay less than 20% of the property taxes. Keeping our roads rural enhances the scenic value of the island which boosts tourism that most of us depend upon for our income as well as increases property values for each of us. If you educated yourself on what Mr. Whitaker means by rural roads you would understand that these principles enhance safety while maintaining the rural nature of the community. This concept helps economic development, enhances safety, and increases property values. I'd suggest that most of us choose to live here because it's not like Route 1 in Saugus or RT 28 in Yarmouth. Those types of roads exist allover the US and if strip malls, fast food joints and traffic lights are your thing, then America beckons you.
I applaud Mr. Whitaker's
Islander Edgartown, MAI applaud Mr. Whitaker's interest and promotion in keeping the true scenic landscape of the island. I have hiked about every inch of this island over the years and there is no place in this country where old stone fences exist, streets are not littered with signs advertising hotels, restaurants, gas stations etc., I hope both year round and seasonal residents can truly see and appreciate what we have on this island - the beauty of the landscape and (hopefully) the lack of man made destruction of it. There is enough of an issue on this island with trying to control the size of the megahouses being constructed, changing enough of the ambience and flavor of the island. Let's support Mr. Whitaker and become active as one community in this endeavor.
You must have missed Vineyard
J. Baker MaineYou must have missed Vineyard Haven signs !
Most people would welcome
chuck west tisburyMost people would welcome beautiful roads with a rural appeal. Having said that an important consideration is the relationship between bikes and vehicles particularly large trucks. If there are no shoulders there has to be somewhere for the bikes to ride preferably a bike path away from the road. Bikes should be encouraged as much as possible for many obvious reasons. Driving around in the average size car is night and day compared to a large truck especially when hauling a loaded trailer. These trucks can't stop or swerve away from bikes like a small car can. This issue must be addressed in any road planning as the existing roads are already dangerous for bikes and would be much more so without shoulders.
I checked out the website for
Neil Off IslandI checked out the website for "Project for Public Spaces." Their specialty seems to be refreshing urban areas, not returning suburbia to rural. I'm guessing Mr. Whitaker asked them for ideas, then simply tossed the paper in the trash.
Their examples of street-sizing are fresh asphalt with changed line configuration. And they like roundabouts.
As for public spaces, that's taking am urban downtown and adding features to make it people-friendly. Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown have limited space to work with. Perhaps make them people-friendly by banning cars, make them pedestrian markets. But where does the parking go? Maybe "Public Spaces" had a suggestion; quick, grab the contents of Mr. Whitaker's trash basket.
Neil, I've been against
BuddyNeil, I've been against roundabouts on the island from the start and we definitely don't need 'urban' highways traversing this landscape. However, when I was ranting about this to a friend in the transportation discipline, she was surprised that no one had mentioned that PPS runs a National Endowment for the Arts program called the Citizens' Institute for Rural Design. It appears they know at least something about rural beauty, but who knows.
http://www.rural-design.org/
What a great article and oh,
Resident EdgartownWhat a great article and oh, yes... Please preserve the rural roads. They work beautifully and the island has accommodated many bike paths, scenic views and more! This is what we drive for when needing some more "feel" of the island as a whole. It is NOT suburbia. Nor is it to be turned into paved parking lots. The roads are truly beautiful as they are. And, the island takes wonderful care of them, besides. As for the poles... They are beyond disgusting looking. If you don't want the roads like Darien or Scarsdale, then we don't want them looking like Texas with those monstrous poles. Shame on the MVC for not being more proactive... Or looking the other way
Bravo Mr. Whitaker - although
Christopher Gray Chappaquonsett and 10128Bravo Mr. Whitaker - although I would like to hear his take on the round-about post-construction. Not referenced here, but I am sure something he has considered, is speed - I mean, Lambert's Cove Road just ain't a 25 mph road. If road is construed to be a place of all kinds of movement, not just cars in a rush from point A to point X. ---Christopher Gray, a member of "the 80%."
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